A Broken Body Leads To A Broken Mind
by Ansernex
Summary: (Formerly titled Cannibal) It was supposed to be a camping trip with a friend. It was never ment to end up lile this... But whats done is done...and Jean just might not make it out alive. (Alright so 2 years later and I'm continuing this. To any new readers, please ignore the first chapter it kinda sucks but for real, this story gets way better I promise okay? Just keep reading.)
1. Chapter 1

(Sorry, this chapter will be relatively short...I'm working on the second as I type this message. I haven't posted anything in a while, so I may as well post this. If people actually like this, I'll continue.)

*The first time I tried to upload this, something went weird and it didnt go in right...I'm sorry ._.

"Hey, are you-" Jean swung up an arm and let it drop on where his friend should have been sleeping, only to find the sleeping bag cold and empty. "...Marco?"

Jean pushed himself up onto his elbows and rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he looked around the small tent they shared. They'd only just made it to the campsite a few hours prior to then, seeing as Marco had insisted that they actually go camping. None of that trailer and electricity bullcrap.

And where did it get them? Rained into a shitty little Walmart tent that was hardly big enough for a toddler; let alone two guys. Not that Jean was really going to complain about the size...it only meant Marco had to sleep closer to him.

"Marco!" He hissed again, leaning forwards towards the partially zippered door-flap. Had he gone outside? If he did, he should have been back by then...if his sleeping back was cold, he must have been gone for a while.

Looks like he'd have to go out there. "Idiot probably get stuck in mud..." Jean muttered to himself. It took a bit of tugging on his part, but the flap un zippered and allowed Jean out into chilly air.

"Fuck." As soon as he stepped out, he felt mud well up between his toes. Guess he should have thought to pull on his boots before running his ass outside. "Marco? You out here?"

No response.

Just off to the side, Jean swore his saw someone standing by his truck. He was about to call out to them when he noticed something strange. That...couldn't be Marco. He was taller. Whoever that was looked to be pretty short. Maybe some kid had wandered in from another site?

"Are you lost or something?" Jean shuffled forwards and resisted the urge to whine as he felt the legs of his pajamas soak up the muddy water as he trudged through it. Great. These were the only comfortable pants he'd bothered to bring. Oh Marco so owed him...

The person looked to have acknowledged Jean, although they made to point in answering him. "I'm talking to you, the least you could do-" And thats when Jean froze.

Blood. There was blood all over the guy. And the side of his truck. Marco was laying in the mud in front of the stranger; unmoving. Was this some sort of joke?

Suddenly, the person turned to stare at him. He defiantly wasn't a kid. With his sharp features and dull eyes, he looked to be in his 20's or 30's. "...great. How many more of you are there? I thought for sure it was just this one." He grumbled, irritated by Jean's presence as he looked him up and down with a bored expression. "...But I suppose there's no point in leaving you here."

Jean wasn't even listening to him though. It appeared that Marco had tried to get into the car to get away from the guy...half of his face had been practically ripped off and upon further inspection, he saw it caught in car door. Not only that, the boy was missing a few fingers and had a large cut that could be seen through a tear in his t-shirt.

This had to be a dream. There was no way that Marco could really be dead. Jean tried pinching his leg, wincing and yelping slightly. Nope. Not a dream.

Which meant...

Without another word, the teen spun around and began sprinting back towards the tent. "Fuck...f-fuck fuck fuck fuck!"

The stranger rolled his gray eyes before he calmly walked after him. "You just had to make this difficult didn't you?" He spat.

If it hadn't been so damn muddy out that night, Jean may have actually made it to his phone. But no. He slid on the slick grass and landed heavily on his back, the wind completely knocked out of him.  
He barely had time to register that he had fallen when a large rock was brought down again his right temple. 


	2. Chapter 2

(*sprinkles glitter everywhere* As promised.)

Ugh..." Jean tried to sit up, but hardly moved at all. Something was very wrong with this situation.

Brown eyes opened and were greeted by harsh sunlight that was streaming in from a single, dirty window. The room was a mess...peeling off-white wallpaper barely clung to rotted wooden walls. The air was stale and had a strangely bitter scent to it as Jean inhaled deeply, trying to think through his pounding headache.

Even though his vision was hazy, he could make out a door across from him. A way out...

Well...not yet, anyway. There was still one problem; he was restrained to the bed. It looked old enough, just a simple iron framed bed that looked like it should be on display in an antique store somewhere. Attached to his wrists were leather restraints that had been screwed into the bedposts. A few hard tugs showed that they wouldn't be coming lose any time soon.

"Shit..." He muttered out loud, his eyes widened when the events of last night flooded back to him and he froze in place. That man...he'd taken him here, hadn't he? Why?

And Marco...he'd just killed him. Oh god... that was still a lot to take in. It was almost as if it couldn't have really happened. Like it wasn't real. You could say a part of him was in denial about it.

"Hey! Is anyone out there?!" Jean yelled at the top of his lungs. It wasn't a very good idea to go screaming in the house of a psychopath, but he was already pretty screwed. That didn't change the fact that he was scared shitless and shaking like goddamn leaf.

As soon as he called out, light footsteps could be heard running up what sounded like a flight of stairs. The door clicked open and a figure that Jean couldn't quite make out appeared in the doorway.

"You're awake!" Said a soft voice, followed by a small laugh. "I didnt think you would be this soon...father hit you pretty hard, I heard. But dont worry, you'll be okay."

"Who are you?" Jean squinted to try and see the person, but all he saw was blonde hair and a fuzzy face. Jeez, his vision was pretty messed up...and he was pretty sure there dried blood on his cheek too. It felt tight...flaky...eww.

"Does you're head still hurt? I bandaged it up, but I didn't have time to clean you...would you like me to?" The figure ignored his question and walked closer. The bed creaked slightly as he sat down next to him and allowed Jean to get a better look.

It was boy, he could see that now. It'd been a little hard to judge just by his voice. Large blue eyes glanced down at him on a face framed by thick blonde hair, a kind smile on his face that clashed with what was happening. Not a time to be smiling, thats for sure. There was something...off about the boy. Strange. He didn't act bothered by this in the slightest. As a matter of fact, he looked comfortable with it all.

Jean stiffened as the boy reached over and brushed back a few strands of hair that had fallen over his eyes. "...don't be scared. I made father promise that he wouldn't let anyone eat you." He then smiled again and leaned forwards, planting a kiss on his forehead.

"...e-eat me?" Did he hear that right? This kid couldn't be serious... "You don't really mean that, do you?" When received a blank stare in response, he felt his stomach drop.

"Yes. The other boy you were with...father brought him back with you when he finished hunting. But you were still breathing...so I got him to let me keep you." The boy cocked his head slightly to the left. "Everyone else he brings back is dead or saved for later, so I guess I got lucky this time! It gets lonely here by myself...everyone is always so busy."

Oh for fucks sake. What had he gotten into...this kid was coo-coo for fucking coco puffs. Jean swallowed hard and forced what he hoped was a convincing smile to his face. "Uh...y-yeah...I guess you are. You still didn't tell me what you're name was..."

The boy's own smile brightened when he saw the other's own smile. "Armin."

"Great...Armin. Do you think you could help me out of these things?" He pulled at his restraints, choosing his words carefully. If he got lucky, this kid might be stupid enough to help him.

Armin promptly shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I was told not to until father says."

Shit.

"Whats's your name? I told you mine, it's only fair that you tell me yours."

"...Um...Jean." Jean replied after a few moments. "...Armin. You wouldn't happen to know what...what happened to my friend, would you?" His pulse speed up as he choked out the question.

Armin shrugged his thin shoulders. "Him? I do believe we'll be having him tonight...why?"

"Oh." Jean whispered. So he really was gone then...Marco was gone. He sucked in a deep breath and ground his teeth until they hurt, staring off at the opposite wall. "...just...wondering."

How long had it taken for his life to go down the toilet? A few hours at most. Even if he DID manage to get out of here, Marco would still be gone. There was no changing that. What made matters worse, was the fact that there wouldn't even be a funeral for him. His best friend was going to served up on a silver platter for these sick fuckers like an animal. The thought of that reality...lets just say it was a good thing he could move at the moment.

But he had to focus on getting himself out now, there wasn't time for him to grieve. He could just as easily be next on the menu.

(I have this story pretty well planned out, but if anyone reading as an idea they'd like to share, go right ahead. c:)


	3. Chapter 3

(Meh...well here's chapter 3. I realized my writing needs a lot of improvement...so I'm trying to get better. ;-; Constructive criticism would be nice too. I'll also make sure that each chapter is at least 1,000 words long.)

"Hold still, this shouldn't hurt too badly." Armin gave little warning before an alcohol-soaked rag was rubbed over one side of Jean's face. As soon as it reached the area near his temple, the brunette gasped and bit back a jumble of profanity.

"Y-you said it wouldn't hurt if I sat still! What the hell?" Jean hissed through clenched teeth. It felt like someone had poured acid on his face...this kid's 'father' must have hit him harder than he thought. At least this explained the blood though...

Armin simply blinked at him a few times before continuing. "That was a lie to calm you down. I don't need you thrashing around and getting blood everywhere. Your wound is almost closed up." He did rub a bit more gently after Jean's little outburst.

A rusted tin box filled with bandages, pills, and other medical tools sat balancing on his lap while Armin tended to Jean. Now that his vision had cleared, he could see that most of what was around him were older things. The dresser, the mirror against one wall, the small lamp next to him on a short table; all were maybe from the 20's or earlier. As if things needed to be weirder.

At least Armin looked relatively normal, aside from the whole crazy cannibal thing, that is... His clothes looked newer than anything in the room, but were out of style by a couple of years or so.

Jean watched as he dug through the tin until he located a roll of bandages, smiling once more in that creepy doll-like way. "Perfect!" He exclaimed, turning back to wrap some around Jean's head. From how he was handling this, he must have done it many times before...which made Jean only worry more. "Do you feel better now?"

"Oh, I feel just peachy..." Grumbling, Jean clenched his fingers and tried to see if he might be able to squeeze his hands right out of the restraints. That looked to be a no as well. "How long do I have to stay like this?"

"Until Father says so." Armin packed the few items back into the tin and bent over the side of the bed, pushing it underneath.

Honestly, Jean felt considerably better. Still not great, but at least better than before. "...am I just supposed to sit here?" He let his had fall back onto the pillow with a heavy sigh. In all actuality, he should really be thinking of how to escape. Once he did, he'd be able to contact the authorities and get these people locked up.

Armin paused for a short moment. "I...I don't think you can do much else. So yes." The boy tucked his hair behind one ear as he stood, kissing Jean's forehead like he had previously. "I'll make sure that Eren brings you some food soon. I have to go." And with that, he turned and walked out the door. Much to Jean's dismay, he heard the click of the lock. Damn...

"Hey! Wake up!"

Jean furrowed his eyebrows and cracked his eyes open slightly. Had he fallen asleep? Fantastic...a perfectly good time to escape: wasted.

"...Why am I always stuck doing this...come on, get up or I'll leave."

Whoever was talking sounded to be growing more and more impatient by the second. Fully opening his eyes, Jean now realized that a guy his age was hunched over him with messy brunette hair and a disdainful frown. "...oh, you ARE awake. Finally." Teal-grey eyes stared into his own until the teen suddenly burst out laughing, sounding on the verge of hysteric. "Damn...Levi really got you good, didn't he? I still don't understand why he let you live...heh, guess he was feeling generous."

What fresh hell was this.  
This had to be the Eren that Armin had mentioned before...

When Jean failed to respond, the teen's demeanor went back to simply being irritated. "Anyway, I got some lunch for you."

A grimace made it way onto Jean features when he caught sight of the plate on the dresser. It looked normal; meat, mashed potatoes, corn... but he was willing to bet the meat wasn't beef.  
"...I'm not hungry."

Eren snorted, reaching over for the plate. "Not my problem. I was told to feed you, so open up!" He stabbed a chunk of meat with the fork and brought it to Jean's mouth, forcing it harder against his lips when he didn't comply. "You know, its a lot easier to eat the food with it actually in your mouth."

Jean jerked his head to the side in a pathetic attempt to get away from the food. No way in HELL was he going to eat that! Even though he didn't know who it had been...it was...it was just sick. "I said...I'm not hungry." He hissed, glaring up at Eren. "So knock it off."

"Tch...fine. Mine then." Eren shoved the chunk of meat into his own open mouth, grinning. "You know, you're not going to last very long here if you don't eat like us. Just saying." He shoveled some of the corn onto his fork next, chewing loudly.

God he already didn't like this kid. Who the hell tries to force feed people?

Probably the same people that eat them, now that he thought about it.

"...can I have some potatoes?"

"I dont know, can you?" Eren started giggling as he ate, waving a forkful of potatoes in Jean's face.

"Oh my god...you cant be fucking serious." Jean was about ready to just swing up his legs and kick him in head. "MAY I have some damn potatoes?"

Eren appeared to think for a second, lowering the fork and staring off at nothing. "Hmm...nope. Sorry. Watch your language next time, Jean. I'm not feeding a potty mouth!" He sang cheekily and took another bite.

"Just give me some food!" This was getting to be infuriating. He hadn't eaten since yesterday and Jean was starting to wonder if his stomach would just give up and start digesting itself.

"Ah-ah-ah! What do you say?" Eren held up a finger and wagged it back and forth in Jean's face. "I know you know it!"

"...please." Jean's voice came out in a dull, almost monotone way. This kid was riding his last nerve.

"See? Now, was that really so hard?" Eren remarked with a snide smirk. Nevertheless, he held the fork in front of Jean's mouth yet again, relived to fined it to only have mashed potatoes. "Open up."

He quickly ate what was on the fork, half expecting Eren to pull it away at the last second. He seemed like the kind of ignorant prick who would do that sort of thing.

"Eren, have you finished yet? You have work to do."

Jean just about jumped out his skin upon hearing the new voice. Fuck, another one?

"Umm...yeah Levi, I was just-"

"Save it." The voice ordered, sounding a bit closer than a moment ago. "I really don't have time for this."

"You...you're the one who..." Jean's voice wavered. He couldn't believe it. This guy wasn't what he'd expected. Sure, he'd seen him before, but now that he had a good look at him...he didn't look very as threatening as he remembered. First of all, he was shorter than remembered. He appeared more bored than anything. Nonetheless, it was most certainly him. Same freezing glare, same dull expression.

Levi barely spared Jean a passing glance. "Remember, you're on guard duty in 20 minuets. We cant risk another 'visit'. Do you understand? Or do you need a reminder?" The man's tone sent shivers up both their spines. Okay...he was damn scary...

Eren let loose a nervous laugh. "H-hey, lets not get all upset...I'll head down now." He dropped the plate he'd been holding onto the dresser and made his way out of the room, making a point to walk way around Levi as he did.

Well, this left just Jean and the guy who killed his best friend. This day was such a win.


	4. Chapter 4

Neither of them spoke word until Levi cleared his throat, effectively breaking the silence and making Jean jump out of his skin.

"I see you didn't eat much. We don't waste food around here, so I expect that you'll finish whats on the plate." Levi gave the teen a look that dared him to protest.

A side glance at the plate made Jean's stomach turn. He wasn't interested to find out what would happen if he refused. "You know, it would be easier for me to just feed myself." The buckles that restrained him chinked metallically as they tapped against the metal frame of the bed.

The sides of the Levi's lips twitched up into what some might consider a smile. To Jean it looked like grimace. "I'm not an idiot. I have no reason to trust that you wont bolt out of here once I do. Armin can handle feeding you just fine."

"I wont run, just-"

"I don't care. Until I have means to trust you, you'll remain as you are unless I say." Floorboards creaked as Levi stepped closer to inspect Jean, not liking what he found. "Tch...you're filthy. Make sure to tell Armin to clean you up."

What? Of course he was dirty! Was he supposed to be fresh as a daisy after last night? Jean went with simply nodding in response. There was no need to bring up that fact that it was LEVI'S fault he was a mess. He had a gut feeling that a remark like that wouldn't blow over well with a guy like him.

"Also...I will not tolerate you corrupting my son. If he asks, tell him nothing about where you're from. There's no need to get him excited over nothing."

Now that he thought about it, Jean realized that Levi and Armin really looked nothing alike... They were both smaller in stature than most, but thats where the similarities ended. "Hey, I actually have a question about Armin."

Levi's expression changed into one of mild interest. Considering his situation, this boy appeared to be relatively calmer than most he returned with. None of the others had even bothered with questions outside of 'where am I' and 'whats going on'. "...Well, what are you waiting for? Ask."

"Umm..." Oh fuck. The last thing Jean wanted was to piss this guy off. He had be carful. "I noticed that you and him...uh...w-well, is he really your kid?"

Silence.

"I don't see how that would be any of your business."

"I know... I'm just curious about-"

"Keep it to yourself. And try not to ask too many other question while you're at it." With a soft grunt, he turned on his heel and walked to the door. "Be grateful with the fact that you were even allowed the right to live."

He did have a point there. It would have been simpler to just have killed him, at least thats how Jean saw it. No, he didn't particularly want to die...but this life wasn't a great consolation prize. Trapped in a town of cannibals with a dead best friend? Sounds like one of those shitty horror movies with mediocre acting and too much sex.

"Oh...One last thing." Levi shifted his gaze to Jean as he stepped outside into the narrow hall, one hand gripping the door handle. "I cant say that I think you'll be a perfect...prisoner, I suppose. But try not to go running your mouth off to anyone. To be clear; no one here will be willing to just drop everything and help your ass escape. So don't even try, they'll only inform me of any plans you make with them."

Well shit.

"I'll remember that." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice when he responded, but Levi chose to ignore it. He had far more important things to handle...

"Jean, I'm back!"

Once again, Jean was ripped out of sleep and back into reality. Armin stood at the end of the bed, a bundle of clothes in his arms. "I noticed how dirty your clothes are, so I picked up some clean ones...hopefully they'll fit you."

"Thats...umm, nice...Can I dress myself?" There was no way he was going to allow himself to be stripped down by a stranger.

"I...I...uh...I-I think that would be okay. Just dont tell my dad. He'll get angry if he found out I untied you." Armin grimaced slightly, uneasy with the idea. He didnt want to make Jean uncomfortable...

"Give me a second." The blonde's nimble fingers had the restraints loosened from Jean's wrists in no time at all. Clearly, he knew what he was doing. "There, all d-"

Jean slipped his hands free and slapped a hand over Armin's mouth, shoving him down into the bed as quick as he could. "Don't scream. I dont want to hurt you..." They was the blonde stared up at him with wide, terrified eyes made him feel guilty for what he was doing...although it didn't stop him from restraining him they was he'd been only a few minuets prior.

"What are you-...you said you wouldn't..." Armin whispered, his voice wavering as he swallowed heavily. "...lier." Something about how he spat that one word reminded Jean of a younger kid who'd just been cheated out of some candy or a toy. "You're a lier! Y-you lied! You-!" A rag was stuffed into Armin's mouth before he could get any louder.

"I'm sorry..." Jean muttered, crawling off the boy and wobbling over to the discarded clothing on the floor. It would be awkward having to change in front of him...no choice though.

The clothes were simple enough; pair of jeans along with a tan t-shirt. The style was more recent, yet they'd obviously been worn multiple times before. "I'm sorry, but I cant...I cant stay here." He wasted very little time in pulling off his own clothes, yanking on his new attire with a small sigh of satisfaction when it seemed to fit alright.

Armin's gaze never left Jean. It was like his was trying to burn a hole through his body as compensation for tricking him. How had he looked so...for lack of a better word, sweet, before? Now he resembled Levi...glaring and unmoving.

Jean let out a deep breath. "Please don't make me feel worse than I do...I'll die if I stay here."

"Mmumfgr!" Armin strained against the straps and shook his head wildly, grunting as he tried to speak through the gag.

Jean pursed his lips as he slid out of the room, silently closing the door behind him. "...too dark." He murmured, staring down the darkened stairs. Damn...he couldn't see anything...

"I knew you'd pull something like this."

(So yes! End of chapter 4...To anyone who is reading this, sorry for the wait. I didn't know what to write...and I might just give up on this anyway...Eheh, my writing isn't exactly worth reading anyway) 


	5. Chapter 5

"You didn't really think that we'd leave you unguarded, did you?" The voice laughed cynically. In the blackness of the hall, Jean could just make out the figure of...oh great.

Then all at once, the stairs were flooded with light. "Boo!" Eren giggled, flicking on and off the light switch at his side.

"..." Jean pursed his lips and swallowed dryly.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

He really should have been able to foresee this. They were obviously going to have someone keep an eye on him!

Jean subconsciously started to chew on his bottom lip; a habit that showed when got anxious.

"Hmm. Not going to talk? Beg for mercy? I saw what you did to Armin." Eren sighed dramatically with his finger pointed to the closed door behind him. "Through the key hole. Jeez, I didn't think you were that mean. And just as he was starting to trust you..." The brunette fiddled with a lock of his hair, his lips forming a small pout. "Well...now I suppose you'll have to be punished...cant just let you get away with this, after all."

Jean had no idea how he was meant to react to that. No way was he going to beg to this prick though...nope, not happening.

He could take him.

"Maybe you should just step aside and let me leave before I beat the shi-"

"Oh please." A second later, a hand was attached to the collar of Jean's shirt and his world was literally spinning as he was sent flying down the flight of stairs.

He didnt feel the pain until he hit the floor. It was almost like a daze; his mind hadn't exactly had time to process the action...then he was suddenly bombarded with it all at once. "W-what the-! Ngnn...Gah!" He attempted to push himself up from the ground, only to fall back again from a sharp pain in his hand.

His ring finger on his left hand was bent back with a very visible bloody white bone sticking out. "...L-look what you f-fucking did! Y-you're crazy!" Jean just about shrieked up the stairs, cradling his hand to his chest.

Eren yawned and took his time walking down the stairs to Jean, standing over him with a malicious grin. "Aww...poor baby..." A kick to his head sent Jean into the wall, leaving him gasping like fish out of water.

"You're damn right I'm crazy..." Eren knelt down next to Jean and threaded his fingers into the teen's hair, jerking him up to look at him. "And you're a fucking idiot." He whispered so close to Jean's face that their noses brushed against the other's. "Did you actually believe that you'd be able to leave...? Hmm?"

"Bastard..." Jean spat at Eren, glaring daggers at him. "I swear to fucking god I'll..."

"Ha! You'll what? Call me a bad name?" Eren sneered. "Bull. You cant do anything and you know it! Come on big boy, stand up! I have a special place to show you." He spoke in a sickly sweet voice, cooing into Jean's ear and making him flinch.

"Fuck that! I'm not going anywhere with you!" Jean took advantage of the fact that Eren had lowered his guard to punch the boy in the gut, scrambling to his feet only to hit the floor as a weight held him down.

Eren had fucking jumped onto his back.

"Ooo, not the best choice you could have made, Jean..." The brunette's breath was hot against the shell of Jean's ear. He ground his teeth and tried to throw Eren off his back.

"G-get off!"

"Hell no!"

Today was not Jean's day, seeing as a few seconds later, Eren's boot connected with his head and knocked him out cold. Twice in 24 hours...Owch.

***  
"Wake up sleeping beauty." A voice taunted Jean through his haze of unconsciousness.

He groaned and tried to turn away from the voice; only to realize he couldn't.

Still dazed from his previous and current head injuries, Jean was a wreck."W-wha...?"

"Wake up!" The voice mock-cheerily repeated, with chapped lips suddenly pressed against his own. THAT woke up him up alright. Once his eyes were open, it took him a second to comprehend who exactly was kissing him.

Eren. It was Eren.

"Ugh! Nasty fucker!" Jean yelled, making his head pound painfully. He whimpered pitifully and lowered his head, only making Eren laugh.

"Oh, that woke you up, huh?"

It was then that Jean realized that he wasn't restrained in that bed anymore. No, it was a chair this time. Upon further inspection, there were sinister looking blood stains in the grainy wood. The room was dimly lit, yet Jean could make out most of its contents. Stone walls...must be a basement. "Where did you take me?"

"Hmm? Oh, you'll find out soon enough." Eren licked his lips. "It's one of my favorite places in town too. Its fun! Although...only for me. Not you." Another laugh.

Jean felt his blood run cold at those words. He peered over his shoulder and found a table with what appeared to be medical tools laid out neatly across it, a faint amount of dried blood crusted on a few of them. "...please tell me you're just trying to freak me out..." This couldn't be happening! Just as he was thinking this couldn't get any worse for him.

"Nope. Not in the slightest. In fact...I think its about time that we took care of that finger of yours. Wont be of much use to you like that." The brunette's footsteps resinated through the room and pounded into Jean's skull, forcing a shiver up his spine.

"This one? ...no no, I used it last time...tch...I should clean these..." Eren mumbled under his breath as he rummaged through the tools. After what seemed like an eternity, he returned with a pair of wicked looking scissors. Jean couldn't help but cringe at the serrated edges. These...were not your average scissors.

"...what are those for?" Okay. That was a stupid question, he'd admit. He was dreading the answer to it regardless.

Eren said nothing. What he did do, was grab ahold of Jean's broken finger and straightened it out between the blades. "Oh...nothing much." And with one good forceful 'snip' and the crunch of fragmenting bone, Jean's finger was laying on the floor next to foot.

Burning tears slipped from his eyes as he screamed, his chest heaving. "Y-YOU FUCKER!" Jean's entire body seemed to clench up as the pain hit him again.

"Tsk tsk...How pathetic. You wont make it though this if thats the worst you can handle before crying like a baby." The teen sighed and scratched the side of his head with a bored expression. "...eh...I'll make do. If you die, I can just get someone else..."

(I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm trying. ._.) 


	6. Chapter 6

(Oh my god, I'm sorry sorry that it took me this long to update...I've just been really uninspired lately even though I've been trying to write longer chapters...

This one is just over 1,000 words though. I'll try harder in the future.)

"Pathetic...you couldn't even manage to keep him tied up? Was it that fucking hard for you?" Levi sharply pulled the rag from Armin's mouth, making him bite his tongue in the process. Was is necessary for him to be so mean?

Armin winced. He hated when Levi got mad at him like this, although he thankfully calmed down after a short while if Armin apologized. "I'm sorry, I was just-"

"-not obeying orders? Yes, I know." Levi held up a hand to silence the blonde, his grey eyes narrowed in a way that made Armin feel uncomfortable. He walked around to the other side of the bed to undo one of the leather restraints on Armin's wrists.

As soon as Armin moved to unbuckle the other, Levi slapped his hand away.

The boy blinked up at Levi. "...I said I was sorry, why are you still mad?" He pursed his lips and kept a steady glare at Levi, mildly confused. What was going on? He told him he was sorry, he shouldn't still be mad. So why did he act like he was?

"Sorry isnt going to slide this time." Levi grabbed a fistful of Armin's soft hair, the bed creaking as he sat down next to him.

Armin felt his stomach drop. "That hurts, let go!" He whined in a childish voice, jerking his head away only to pulled painfully back. "Oww!"

With a roll of his eyes, Levi tightened his grip. "This is mainly my fault, I suppose. I've let you get away with too much..." His expression showed not a single sign of regret for what he was doing. "Thats not happening anymore." Levi's eyes wandered over Armin's disoriented face before he slapped him. His head snapped to side so fast that it took him a moment to even react to the action.

"Ah! W-why did you do-AH! Oww!" He was slapped a second time, his jaw aching from the force of the blow.

And then he was slapped a third time.

And a forth.

And a fifth.

And a sixth.

Armin lost count after that. He started sobbing somewhere around slap four. By slap seven he could taste blood in his mouth. He begged for Levi to stop and began kicking at him to get what he was pleading for, but that only resulted in Levi sitting on his legs until he could no longer feel them.

With each hit he received, Armin swore he felt them grow harder. His cheeks burned and the soft flesh was left an angry scarlet when Levi finally relaxed and let him go.

The blonde went limp against the headboard and sobbed grossly, hiccuping in between cries. Blood spilled from his nose and split lip down his chin, staining his shirt collar an unattractive brown. "W-why did you...I-I said I was..."

"Because," Levi narrowed his eyes. "You're getting the same punishments as everyone else from now on, I shouldn't have been so stupid as to spoil you to begin with. Remember this next time you think of doing something stupid. Now quit your sniveling and go...clean up." He muttered, yanking off the other wrist restraint before he stood and left.

Only Armin didn't go clean up. He brought a shaky hand up to feel his torn lip, recoiling as if he'd touched an open flame. Levi had never struck him before that.

Ever.

In fact, no one had. Since Levi had 'adopted' him, anyone caught being so much as rough with him had received the same or similar treatment as what Armin just had. What baffled him more so was how Levi didn't even seem upset about doing it.

He couldn't help help it when the tears started falling again.

Eren was having way to much fun with this.

It wasn't enough that he had to cut off Jean's finger, no, that little psycho had to bring a knife into the mix.

He'd taken his sweet time cutting up Jean's arm, which stung like hell and splattered blood all over the side of his shirt. He guessed he was lucky that he didn't cut to deeply...

"Are you finished yet?" Jean hissed boldly up at him as set down his knife on the table. It had gotten to the point where his hands and feet had gone numb from lack of circulation, thanks to the restraints that Eren had so kindly tightened.

Eren grinned, chuckling to himself in an unsettling manor. "Not quite yet. Still one more thing I have to do." There was the sound of clanging metal as the brunette rummaged through a cardboard box of tools on the floor. It didn't him very long to choose one of them.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Jean eyed the pliers in Eren's hands as he walked in front of him anyway. They had a good amount of dried blood on them and he was NOT about to become another source for it.

"Huh...but you have such a big mouth...you could need more room in there." Eren held up his hands defensively. "I'm just trying to help out! You should be thanking me!" He leaned forward and forced open his jaw with his left hand, holding the pliers in his right. "Say AHHH!"

Jean immediately made the pointless attempt to close his mouth, so Eren squeezed his fingers painfully against his jaw until he was left with no choice but to keep it open. He wouldn't actually pull out his tooth, would he?

...He would. And he knew that.

Yet, his luck took a turn when the basement door flung open and someone walked inside. "Eren, we have a problem. One of the catches from this morning got loose."

Reluctantly, Eren released Jean's face and tossed the pliers back into the box with a clang that echoed throughout the stone walls. "Why is that my problem? Cant Levi get it? He's best at it anyway."

"Levi's busy. He told me to get you." An asian girl stood a few feet away from them. She was ...really pretty. Like, REALLY pretty. If he wasn't in the predicament he was currently thrown into, he would totally go after her...fuck, now was not the time to think about that!

Eren sighed. "Alright Mikasa, I'll go." He turned to Jean now and patted his cheek. "Stay put, I'll be back soon."

"I'm not going anywhere..."


	7. Chapter 7

I'm so sorry for the long wait! I was just really unmotivated for the longest time...I'm trying though. And I guess I might be getting a little better? Maybe?

"You're being too hard on yourself, Levi. Come on! So you hit him a few times? Who cares? He'll get better." Hanji sat perched up on the kitchen table, swinging her legs back and forth as she ate her dinner. "Armin got what was coming to him. You can't baby him forever, you know. He's getting spoiled."

"I do not 'baby' him..." Levi interjected, leaning against the counter across from the woman. Yes, he may be softer towards him than the rest. Yet that was no excuse for him to ignore a direct order. "But you have a point...you know that fucker who tried to escape?"

Hanji clicked her tongue, staring up at the ceiling as she thought. "Ah...the tall one? Or the girl? Be a little more specific."

Levi rolled his eyes. "The tall one. Anyway, he asked me if Armin was my son earlier."

"So? What did tell him?"

"What do you think I told him? I told him it's none of his business. Nosey brat..." Levi muttered the last part under his breath, exhaling deeply. "I never should have let him live. All he's done is cause problems for me." Because of him, he ended up taking out his frustration on his 'son'. It was a stupid, compulsive move, but what's done is done. He just hoped Armin wouldn't dwell on it for too long. The kid could hold a grudge, Levi had to give him that.

"Thats too bad...its an interesting story. You leave to hunt down a campsite and come back with a damn toddler. I still cant wrap my mind around why you didn't kill the little thing...does the grand, stoic Levi have a soft spot?" Hanji jeered, a wide grin splitting her face as she leaned forward slightly.

"You're going to have a soft spot in your skull if you keep talking." Levi growled. He wasn't proud of it; he'd killed children before. But they were either babies with no understanding of the world around them or bratty older kids who screamed and gave him a headache. Not tiny three year olds who remained curled up asleep as their parents were butchered only inches away. In the end, he couldn't bring himself to do the deed, so to speak. "...dont you have things to do? Why the hell are you still inside? Get out of my house."

"You're such a killjoy." Was the last comment Hanji managed to sneak in before scurrying from the kitchen, shortly after accompanied by the slamming of the front door.

Levi sighed heavily, starting to question his judgment on allowing Hanji to remain breathing. Picking up his plate of food off the counter, he sat on one the worn kitchen chairs. He'd been concidering going into town to get some new furniture. Something sturdier and less...offensively old. "Maybe oak..." He murmured, the man's eyes darting to the stairs when he heard someone step into the hall.  
Armin stiffly made his way past Levi, clearly doing his best to avoid eye contact. Levi watched as he dug through the cupboard for a rag, which he then placed a few ice cubes in and gingerly pressed against his bruised cheek with a sharp hiss. When he looked up, he caught Levi staring at him.

"..." Levi raised an eyebrow, frowning slightly. "...are you expecting a pity party? I told you to go clean up. Get your ass upstairs and take a shower or something." That may have been a bit harsh, but he was in no mood to conjure up any form of an apology. Especially when this was of Armin's own doing.

Armin sucked in a breath before turning on his heel and left the room in just as stiff of a manner as when he'd entered. Once he was out of sight, Levi slid down in his chair and closed his eyes, letting his head fall back to awkwardly rest on the back of the chair. What a mess. This was the last thing he needed to deal with piled up on top of all the shit he was wadding through at the moment. For his sake, he prayed Armin would grow up and get over it.

Armin viciously scrubbed at his neck and cheek until the skin became an angry scarlet, irritated by the friction of the washcloth. He grit his teeth and pushed harder against his skin, only satisfied when saw that every trace of blood had vanished.

His face still stung from earlier, the flesh of his cheek having darkened to a dull purplish color over his cheek bone. There'd be a nasty bruise for sure. "I dont get it." The blonde found himself thinking out loud while patting his face dry with one of the towels that hung off the back of the door. Levi showed no remorse for what he'd done to him. He hadn't gotten so much as an apology.  
With a heavy sigh, he trudged out of the bathroom.

For a moment he considered going to check on Jean, but then he remembered that he'd ran away. Perhaps they would be serving him for lunch tomorrow...Armin quickly shook his head to try and get the awful thought out of his mind.

It's not that he particularly liked Jean...he was just the only outsider he'd spoken too in forever. He had been waiting until the teen had healed more to ask about where he'd come from. Every time he talked to Levi about it, the man got all stiff and told him to go to his room. As Armin made his way downstairs, he found that Levi was no longer in the kitchen.

He took a step into the kitchen and glanced out through the large window over the sink. Outside, he could see Levi dragging a very beat up looking Jean behind him. The poor guy looked even worse than when he'd been brought in...

Armin didn't wait for them to come inside, instead running out the side door and into the humid summer air. "Father? What are you-...why are you bringing him back?" The blonde slowed once he reached them, coming to stop only a few feet away.

Levi shoved Jean to Armin, saying nothing when the teen stumbled and nearly collapsed onto the grass. "Him and I had a little talk. He wont be trying anymore stunts like that if he ever want to see the fucking light if day again. Next time, Armin, you need to listen to me. I wont be this forgiving next time your...pet gets off its leash."


	8. Fuck

Oh my god it's been 2 years.

Shit.

Not gonna lie, I'm considering continuing this if anyone actually cares.


	9. Chapter 8

Neither of them spoke for a while.

Armin stared down at Jean as he winced and pushed himself up, cradling his mutilated hand against chest.

"I...I suppose that was Eren's doing." Armin said softly, quickly shifting his gaze to avoid eye contact. What was he supposed to do? He was furious, hurt, and relieved all at once and it felt so unusual that all he could muster up was some stupid observation of the plainly obvious.

Of course, part of him knew this was his fault. Yet, that childish part of him felt betrayed. Jean had been his first new "friend" and he betrayed him, as ridiculous as that may sound. Since new faces were only found on dinner plates, Armin realized he'd been far too trusting of someone who was, in fact, a stranger.

And here they were.

As gently has he could, Armin lead Jean back up to the attic room. He noticed how the man's legs shook as he climbed the stairs, his breathing sharp and seemingly forced. It was obvious that he was in shock.

"I should clean that up before it gets infected." Armin continued. He felt a pang of sympathy as Jean flinched at the sudden sound of his voice, nodding in agreement.

"Y-yeah, that's...ah...a good idea." Jean muttered in response as he grimaced. Fresh blood trickled slowly down his arm and mixed with the dull red of some that had dried along his forearm. The stark white of roughly separated bone stood out like a sore thumb. Armin was...pleasantly surprised at the minimal amount of damage done to Jean over all. Most who got into close contact with Eren came out considerably worse. Someone must have interrupted him.

Regardless, he was his closest friend. When they were little, they would play in the woods behind his house for hours in an old hunting shack that no one else knew about.

But Eren hadn't been the same since his parents passed. Seeing your mother shot through the skull by your father can pretty effectively traumatize anyone. Not to mention watching your father take himself out in the same fashion moments later. When Levi had finally sent someone over to find out why no one had left the house in days, they found the boy eating his father's corpse as he cried, tears cutting through the blood smeared across his face. All in all it left him, for lack of better wording, pretty fucked in the head, even by cannibalistic standards.

Jean gave no signs of protest as Armin got to work cleaning him up, only flinching when the stump of his finger was touched. It was obvious he wanted to scream, but he managed to restrain himself. He was nearly biting a hole through his lower lip in the process. "So, I uh..." Jean started, clearing his throat. "...fuck I don't know..." He gave up and grit his teeth as Armin carefully wrapped his hand, watching as the cloth bandage slowly covered it.

"You do realize how fucked up this is, right? I mean, I'm sorry you got hurt and all that, but I really can't stay here."

"You don't get a choice. Father says you stay, so you stay. It's...it's too dangerous to let you leave. Okay? You should be happy to still be alive." Armin's gaze hardened as he spoke, suddenly remembering why he was angry. "I shouldn't have trusted you so quickly. Now father is angry with me and..." He trailed off and sighed. "I know you're scared, but you'll be okay now. Father didn't kill you, so clearly he needs something from you."

"What about that Eren kid then? There's something wrong with him. He tried to pull out my fucking teeth! How can you seriously think I'll be okay here?" Jean's voice rose into a growing panic. "What makes you think he won't try to bash my skull in the second he gets me alone? Seriously, he's-"

j

"He's my friend." Armin cut him off, slamming shut his first aid kit. "Maybe if you hadn't lied to me and fought with him, he wouldn't have hurt you. You were safe and being taken care of, I don't know why you tried to run!" He glared accusingly at the other, pouting like a child.

Jeans eyes widened. "You're actually mad at me? Your fucking "father" kidnaped me and killed my friend!" He watched as the taller boy stood, tears forming in his eyes as his expression grew more desperate. "You're all fucking crazy! You EAT people for fucks sake!" Heavy footsteps rang in Armin's ears as the other began to pace the length of the room, arms hugged tightly around himself. "None of you get how fucked up that is?! Who the hell even are you people! Why are you even-"

Armin decided to tune him out at that point. Crazy? He wasn't crazy. He was perfectly normal. Just like everyone else in town. Sure, Levi had never actually allowed him to leave, but...

He was forced out his thoughts as Jean suddenly kicked the wall, sinking to his knees and letting out heaving sobs into his good hand.

Armin could hear him murmuring someone's name.

"I'm sorry." Armin whispered dryly. "But you're staying here. That's it."

And then they sat in silence once more.


	10. Chapter 9

"...you want me to...what, exactly? Spy on him?" Mikasa leaned back in her chair. She tilted her head to the left and squinted distainfully at the man across from her.

Levi sighed. "No, not spy on him. You're his...friend, there's nothing wrong with keeping an eye on him...for me." Okay so maybe he was asking Mikasa to spy on Armin. In his defense, there was no way he would leave him alone at all times with that outsider. He still didn't completely trust him, even though it had been weeks since he's arrived. The boy had become far too comfortable in his situation for Levi's liking. In that time, Armin's behavior had changed drastically. The boy rarely spoke to him anymore and had recently began to refuse eating any of the human meat he normally consumed without issue. "I don't know what Jean is telling him, but it needs to stop."

The woman sharply chuckled. "So, you're losing control and you want me to fix your mess? Is that it?" Mikasa's expression suddenly hardened. "Yes, I'll keep an eye on him. Not for you, but for him." In all honesty, she wasn't too fond of Jean herself. The way he tailed behind Armin like a lost puppy whenever they left the house was pathetic. Not to mention how he mooned over her when he thought she wasn't looking. Jean couldn't hunt (even animals), he refused to do anything when new captives were brought in, and he had the nerve to give whiny excuses whenever he was asked to help with anything. In her opinion, Jean has become nothing more than a burden on their community.

Mikasa wasn't the only one who thought that either.

"That's all I'm asking." Levi pushed back his chair, waving his hand towards the front door. "Go. They'll be back soon."

Armin hadn't believed Jean at first. Naturally, he was skeptical of anything that came out of his mouth for days after he'd tried to escape. But slowly his curiosity had drawn him back, eagerly soaking in the wonders that Jean told him of. Knowing very little of the world outside his books and town, Armin was fascinated by the stories Jean shared. Amusement parks, museums filled with ancient things, vast oceans, sprawling cities; all things he'd heard little of and had never seen himself.

The fact that cannibalism was considered a heinous crime was new.

"So...people only eat animals for meat?" Armin asked as he sat crosslegged on the floor. "That's so stupid! There's so many of us. People see nothing wrong with hunting to lower deer population, but hunting people to do the same is wrong?"

"Well yeah. That's murder. Which is illegal." Jean explained for the hundredth time with a bored frown. "You just think it's okay because you grew up with it. Seriously, it's a really fucked up thing to do. No sane person would ever try to eat another person."

Armin rolled his eyes. "But war is perfectly acceptable? You kill so many people anyway, why would you waste them like that?" The blonde yawned and stood, stretching his arms over his head. "I guess I see your point, kinda...but it's stupid." He walked over to the open window in Jean's room and closed it, turning back to him with a grin. "And kinda hypocritical."

It was dark out now. Levi would be returning home soon which meant Jean's door would be locked until morning and Armin had to go back to his own room downstairs. But that wasn't going to be the case tonight.

Jean said he was going to take him to the city while everyone was asleep.

Oh sure, it was risky. If they were caught by anyone it wasn't going to end well for either of them. But both of them were just itching for something new.

"Alright, you just...I don't know, pretend to sleep and I'll be back once father is asleep." Armin shrugged. "You sure your truck is still going to be there?"

"It should be. It's not like people go out there often and no one knew exactly where me and mar- ...my friend were going." Jean took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. It still hurt to say his name.

Armin didn't seem to notice how Jean's tone had changed. "Well that's good then. I'll be back soon, be ready." The blonde smiled as he shut and locked the bedroom door, trudging down the stairs just as Levi walked through the front door. The two shared a moment of awkward eye contact before Levi grimaced and moved past him to kick off his shoes at the base of the stairs. Armin stiffened and quickly ran off to his bedroom without a word.

"You know, you can't keep this up forever. You'll have to get over yourself eventually." Levi called after him as he turned to carefully place his shoes nearly on the bottom step.

Armin paused in his doorway. "...I could say the same to you." He replied shakily, slamming the door.

AIGHT GUYS I KNOW THIS CHAPTER IS SHORT BUT TRUST ME SHIT IS GONNA GO DOWN AIGHT I FINISHED THIS AT 4:06 AM IF GRAMMER IS FUCKED UP OR IT SEENS ODDLY WRITTEN THEN THATS WHY


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